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We have just ended the month of April. This marks the official count-down of the Rotary year.

June 30th is just a few weeks away and I am sure President Elect Tom Shivo is counting days now as he prepares to take over the leadership of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East.

Like is the case for many other Rotary clubs around the world, Covid-19 happened and all the plans we had were thrown into disarray.

The month of March saw us adjusting to what has become the new normal – staying home, wearing masks, washing hands, practicing social distance and working from home.

We hosted the first ever virtual karaoke and even had a DJ who facilitated the session.

Now April has come and gone. We are have somewhat adjusted to the fact that Covid-19 is here with us for a long time – at least until a vaccine is found. After the initial discomforts, Rotarians have bounced back stronger than ever. Covid-19 did not stop our reggae.

So what were we up to in April?

Vibrant and edu-taining virtual fellowships continued

If it is one year when Rotarians have had 100% attendance, it will certainly be the year 2020. Thanks to virtual meetings, we are now able to attend more than one meeting in a week without leaving the comfort of our homes.

Our weekly meetings have been attended by an average of 55 participants. As we were adjusting to the new norm, IPP Tito Tadeo hosted the inaugural Nairobi East virtual meeting where he moderated a lively discussion about our Covid-19 lockdown experiences. Once we got used to virtual meetings, we have not looked back.

Past President Amb. Dennis Awori gave an insightful Job Talk.

We have hosted several exciting speakers, had a very insightful Job Talk by past president Ambassador Dennis Awori, done a virtual karaoke Happy Hour, inducted four new members to the club and listened to District Governor Elect Patrick Obath share his plan as incoming District Governor 2020-2021.

Club strategic plan

In the month of April, the Board of Directors led by PE Tom Shivo initiated a club membership survey. The findings will be used to inform the strategic direction the club should take in the coming years.

I thank everyone who responded to the questionnaire and gave their opinions and ideas on how the Club should be run and what we should focus on. More details about the survey findings will be shared to members in the coming weeks.

In April we inducted four new members into our Club!

April birthdays

Every week in April we celebrated a birthday. I have never said happy birthday so many times. Our Club is full of April babies! On behalf of members of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East, I would like to wish the following eight Rotarians a happy birthday!

Vincent Ogega – 1st April

Carolyne Gathua – 5th April

PDG Peter Mbui – 6th April

Karani Kinyua – 8th April

Chacha Maroa – 10th April

Grace Njoroge – 11th April

Dr. Joe Kamau – 13th April

Edwin Kimani (Piray) – 24th April

Lockdown tips to keep you sane

Now that President Uhuru Kenyatta extended the lock down and dawn to dusk curfew, hopefully these measures will help flatten the curve even as the Ministry of Health kicks off mass testing. I would like to share some ideas of how you can utilize your time.

Feed your mind with the RIGHT things

You will come across a lot of information from corners. Some will be true and others lies. Read everything with a pinch of salt. Avoid forwarding anything until you are sure that the information is true. I recommend you spend time reading, watching and listening to material that is uplifting, growth oriented and refreshing to the mind and soul.

2. Focus on your health and wellness

This is the time to be deliberate about your fitness and health. Exercise daily to give your mind a rest from the solitary workstations in the house. Take periodic walks and change locations – especially if you are working from home (WFH).

Regular meditation and breathing sessions are also highly recommended so you can synergize your spirit, body and soul. Nutrition is another focus area. You become what you eat. Be very deliberate about what you put in your mouth, the time you eat and how much you eat.

3. Reconnect and grow meaningful relationships

These could be work related, family or just friends. WFH presents significant down times that people can use to build or rekindle relationships in a more meaningful way.

4. Focus on personal development

This is the time to learn new skills, read the books you bought and have never opened, and register for the online courses and webinars you keep postponing. Do something with the extra time that we have now.

5. Think business

This is the time to develop new processes or ideas about your business or work that you have not been able to think about. We are in the digital age. How can we serve our clients better digitally? How can your business take advantage of the digital space to grow our business or enhance work output?

Wishing our Muslim brothers and sisters Ramadhan Mubarak.

Finally, I would like to wish our Muslim brothers and sisters Ramadhan Mubarak. May Allah’s peace and love be upon you during this Holy Month.

I am a couple of weeks late in writing my monthly note. But hey, we are still in March, right? I am still on time!

This letter as you will soon find out, is very special and a little longer than my usual 800 words that my (very strict) Editor insists I should stick to.

I hope this piece will inspire and speak to as many Rotarians and non-Rotarians who are trying to figure out what this life is about. Take some time out and indulge me. Please? It will be worth every second of your time.

Why I was late in
writing my monthly note

You must be wondering why my monthly note delayed. I turned 50 years old!! Please clap….!

What was even more special is my birthday fell on the day my Club (the Coolest Club) meets – Tuesday 3rd March – which made it really special for me. By the way, I had not planned to be Rotary President in the same year I was going to turn 50 and with a date falling right on the fellowship day. This is just one of the many miracles I’ve enjoyed over the last 50 years.

If you asked me 10 years ago where I was going to be when I turned 50, I would have probably told you that I was going to be somewhere in the Maldives on a boat cruise, smoking a cigar, sipping a glass of Isabella Islay and watching the sunset as I crossed to the other half of a decade.

I am half a century old and hugely thank God for the gift of life. I am exceedingly happy to be alive.

But you all know, life is never in a straight line.
Life happens. Life happened. It happened that I celebrated my 50th
birthday as the President of an amazing Rotary Club – the Rotary Club of
Nairobi East.

I am half a century old and hugely thank God for the gift of life. I am exceedingly happy to be alive. It feels great. So far, I have been fortunate to enjoy great health, have an amazing career, a wonderful family and friends and an opportunity to be an established entrepreneur. I am truly thankful for the 50 years I have lived.

I am excited to be 50! This is me and my little friends from Total Rehab Centre.

The month of March has been a real emotional roller
coaster for me as I look back at my life – especially now that the world is
dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A few weeks ago, coronavirus
seemed like a Chinese problem. It was far. Hukoooo
Wuhan. At least that is what I thought in February 2020.

What we achieved in
February

You see, every last Thursday of the month, my Board
and I meet to review our activities. I am happy we ticked off most of the
things we had planned to do in the month of February. Our achievements included:

Transitioning
Rotaractors into Rotary

We finally did it! The big hairy audacious goal that we set out for the Club at the beginning of the 2019/20 Rotary year was to transition at least five Rotaractors into the family of the coolest Rotary Club in town. When we held our induction, we transitioned four of them into Rotarians during a dinner that was officiated by DGN Alex Nyaga and attended by over 60 Rotarians and guests.

Our Induction ceremony was officiated by DGN Alex Nyaga.

I would like to recognise the Membership Director Rosemary Njeri, and her very able committee for the exceptional work they have been doing in growing our membership. They have put in place a strategy that ensures we are continuously engaging potential Rotarians who we can transition into Rotary.

Our Club is growing!!

Target setting at St. John’s primary school, Korogocho

At the start of the school year, our Vocational
Committee organises a target setting session at St. John’s. On this special
day, Rotarians go and spend the day with class 7 and 8 students and help them set
academic and personal goals. We also reward those who excelled in the previous
exams and conduct a mentorship session.

Target setting day is one of the most important days in our Club calendar. This is one project that is the pride and joy of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East because of the impact it has had since we began. Our aim is to break the cycle of poverty and provide a sense of hope and purpose to most of those students who come from very difficult backgrounds.

During the Target Setting session we always have a motivational talk for the boys and girls.

We know our efforts have an impact because of the
results we receive at the end of every term and KCPE. Whenever we visit the
students and their teachers, we can see the excitement in their eyes as we
interact with them.

A shout out to the Vocational Committee led by
Beatrice Kariuki. She is one Rotarian who has given her time, heart and soul to
serving the children of St. John Korogocho. Thank you Beatrice!

Held vibrant and edutain-ing fellowships

In February we hosted an array of interesting speakers.
They included:

Mark Kaigwa, Founder of Nendo, a digital intelligence agency who spoke to us about the peculiar habits Kenyans have online.

Dr. Ed Brenegar, Founder and Chief Initiator of Circle of Impact Leadership. He spoke about leadership for a world in transition. Dr. Brenegar specializes in developing leaders for impact in their organizations. He is also the author of the groundbreaking 21st Century leadership guide, “Circle of Impact: Taking personal initiative to ignite Change”.

Chocolates for Valentine’s Day – The day fell on a Friday but during the fellowship held on Tuesday 18th, members received chocolates as a treat from the Club President. I hope you all enjoyed!!

Most of these men claimed they did not celebrate Valentine’s Day because they attended the Men’s Conference. Carol Gathua ensured she held her rose stem close.

What we had planned in
March

In February as the norm, the Board met on Thursday 27th
at our usual place. I remember the Directors were all upbeat as we enjoyed the
tea and samosas that have become a ritual in all our Board meetings.

We reviewed our activities and agreed on the things we
needed to prioritise before the end of the Rotary year, June 30. As any Rotary
President/leader will tell you, in Rotary if you do not (meticulously) plan,
you plan to fail. The Rotary year is very short.

Right from the onset, my Board and I made it a culture to have our plans on paper which makes it easier to monitor and evaluate. But as you know, life is not a straight line. You tick off some things and others remain pending. The idea is to have your plan and keep working at it. It helps.

Rotarian Vynce Ogega reading the profile of a new member during an induction ceremony.

Since all my monthly notes highlight our plans for the
month, I will still share with you what we had in store in the month of March.

After agreeing on all the activities, I remember one
of my Directors complaining that Rotary had taken up all her weekends. Being
(an ambitious) Rotary Club President, I (politely) reminded her that Rotary is Service Above Self and being a Board
member, her presence in the activities was important and expected. Little did I
know how March would turn out to be.

So here is what we had planned and some of what we
managed to execute before coronavirus happened.

A 50th
birthday surprise by Rotarians

I wanted to celebrate my birthday with Rotarians. I am glad this happened before the coronavirus pandemic. As happened, my birthday fell on a club meeting day. On the same day, we had invited a virologist who had come to speak to us about coronavirus. I did not suspect anything was cooking until IPP Tito Tadeo stood up to move an “urgent motion” on behalf of members. He “accused” me of being a “bad” Club President and moved a motion of impeachment. What!!!!???

See my birthday cake from Rotarians! Isn’t it beautiful?

My heart stopped! I thought it was a joke until I saw the serious faces of members and their silence. After what seemed like 100 years of silence, I saw a birthday cake just before the room burst out into song and laughter. Thankfully, my 50 year old heart survived the scare. But I must admit I broke a sweat.

See how I am holding my heart! That surprise got me!!

Later that week, Rotarians got together for a Karaoke night in my honour and we had a great time singing and dancing the night away. I am truly thankful to all the Rotarians, friends and family who made my birthday special. This was way better than a boat cruise with a cigar! But I wouldn’t mind sipping a glass of Isabella Islay. 50th birthday is said to be a whole year, I am therefore still accepting birthday gifts!!!

Karaoke night to celebrate my 50th birthday.

A visit to Total
Rehab

We had planned two project visits in March. One of the visits was to our main project this Rotary year – Total Rehabilitation Centre located in Kasarani. Thankfully, this happened on Saturday 7th March.

Rotarian Susan when we visited Total Rehab.

The visit was made possible through the passion and leadership of one of our new members, Faith Kamau and her office colleagues. Through the Club, we took volunteer medical practitioners, paediatricians and physiotherapists to Total Rehab where they spent the morning giving medical services to the children. During the visit we also donated equipment and foodstuffs to the home as well.

Celebrated Rotaract week

The Rotaract week was on the second week of March. During our weekly meeting on Tuesday 10th March, we hosted Samuel Karanja, the District Rotaract Representative (DRR) as a guest speaker. He gave a very interesting talk titled: Is Rotaract Rotary’s best kept secret? He talk was very eye opening as it gave us deeper insights about how best as a Club we can engage with Rotaract clubs.

Samuel Karanja, the District Rotaract Representative (DRR) giving a talk at RC Nairobi East to mark the Rotaract week.

I am happy that as a Club, we have decided to have a very intentional relationship with our Rotaract club – The Spartans. We endeavour to have joint meetings, activities and projects as often as we can. I must applaud President Fiona Masila for doing a fantastic job.

Then coronavirus
happened…

Our March guest speaker calendar was all set. We had
planned to have a Master Class in sign language with Dr. Salome Gitoho and a
Job Talk by Ambassador Dennis Awori. Unfortunately, we had to cancel and
explore other ways members could meet virtually. I will give more details about
this in my April note.

Attending the Sunshine Rally

Club members had been gearing up for the Sunshine
Rally that was scheduled on Saturday 14th March. Our Club had been
tasked to fundraise and buy gifts for the 7,000 children expected to attend the
event. For weeks I mobilised members to donate cash so we could buy the gifts.
We raised over KSh 250,000 for this. Sadly the event had to be cancelled after
the government banned public gatherings as part of curbing the spread of
coronavirus.

Another induction on March 17th

Yes. We were to have another induction planned on the
17th which we have had to postpone until we can figure out COVID-19.

On Saturday 21st March, we had planned to
have two events. Yes, we were that ambitious. The first was a mentorship
session at I Can Fly high school, Machakos that was to be spearheaded by our
Rotaract Club (The Spartans).

On the same day, we had planned to have Rotary 101. One
of the cool things about RC Nairobi East is the fact that it is one of the few
clubs in District 9212 that holds two Rotary Open Days every Rotary year for
people interested in joining Rotary. In September 2019, we held a Rotary 101
class that was attended by over 30 interested participants. During our second
class, we were expecting more than 30 guests. We are exploring how we can
deliver Rotary 101 virtually. Details will follow shortly.

We had planned to end the month with a bang by doing a
Members retreat on Saturday 28th. This was going to be a session for
members to network while contributing to the club’s next three year strategy.
This unfortunately, has been postponed.

Parting shot

As you have read, March has turned out to be a month of many surprises. One minute you have this great plan, another minute life has its own plan. Life is not a straight line. As I write this, half the city is working from home. Life has slowed down significantly as we grapple with the possibility of a total lock-down. The world as we know it will never be the same again post-coronavirus.

Despite the turbulence around us, I have faith that we will overcome. Human beings are a resilient specie. Keep smiling!

As a Rotary Club President, I have to go back to the
drawing board and see how I will run the club for the remaining three months.
All the major events we had planned for like the Laikipia Medical Camp, the District
Conference and Assembly and the Rotary International Conference have all been postponed
or cancelled.

Despite the turbulence around us, I have faith that we
will overcome. Human beings are a resilient specie.

This is the time to reflect about life and think about your purpose. I know I found my purpose in Rotary. I wish you well, stay safe, wash your hands regularly and as much as possible, and stay at home.

https://www.rotarynairobieast.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Featured-Image-Birthday.jpg213379Dan Awendohttps://www.rotarynairobieast.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RCNE-Logo.pngDan Awendo2020-03-26 11:14:032020-03-26 15:35:17Life is not a straight line: Letter from a 50 year old Rotary Club President

It is just the other day I was wishing you folks a
merry Christmas. As I write this, January 2020 is gone and we are in the month
of February. Time is flying very fast.

After a three week break, we started the year with a retreat in the first week of January. The Club’s Board and I retreated to evaluate our successes, failures and lessons gained during the first six months of the 2019-20 Rotary year.

We had a very interactive time reviewing what we must
get done in the second half of the Rotary year. The retreat was well attended
by Directors and a few Past Presidents of the Club and we were able to define
clearly what and how we need to execute the pending tasks.

Refreshing guests in
January

January 2020 started on a high with our first guest speaker Dr. Ezekiel Mutua, the CEO of the Kenya Film Classification Board. The meeting was a joint evening fellowship with RC Milimani.

Dr. Ezekiel Mutua has been nick named the morality cop by Kenyans because of his controversial stand against content aired on media.

Mutua spoke about the content Kenyans are consuming on various platforms – TV, radio and the internet. He was unapologetic about his “moral cop” title and his fight against content that goes against moral, cultural and Christian values.

Our second guest was Joyce Gikunju, a Sales Academy facilitator and book author. Joyce spoke about the changing art of selling. The audience learnt about the changing sales environment and how sales personnel need to reposition themselves to reap from the ongoing changes.

President Dan Awendo (left) exchanging flags with Rotarian Joyce Gikunju who was a guest speaker at RC Nairobi East.

On the last week of January, we hosted Nery Ronatay, a Rotary Peace Scholarship Fellow and Angi Yoder Maina, a trauma management expert.

(From left – right) President Dan Awendo, Angi Yoder Maina and Nery Ronatay, a Rotary Peace Scholarship Fellow pose for a photo after the meeting.

The panelists gave a passionate presentation of how they have managed to stop the cycle of violence by transforming the lives of victims who have gone through trauma caused by violence.

Six upcoming activities in February

February is Peace building and Conflict Prevention month. We have a series of activities planned in February in line with this theme.

Goal setting at St. John’s Korogocho

On Saturday 8th February all roads lead to our vocational services project at St. John School in Korogocho for a target setting session with pupils. This annual exercise has helped #ElevateThePerformance of this school.

Every year, we help the pupils of St John’s Korogocho set their academic goals.

We now see excellent results coming from this school which only a few years ago could not produce any marks that we can talk about. The pupils now qualify for secondary school in numbers we could only dream about. Join us and shape the destiny of a child’s whose future would have been wasted were it not for your intervention.

2. Weekly fellowships

We have invited various interesting speakers for our
lunch fellowships. This month we want to explore fun topics. We have a planned
master class in sign language on Tuesday 11th and a birthday
luncheon on Tuesday 25th February. Save the date and make a date
with us!

3. Transitioning Rotaractors into Rotary

This is one of those big hairy audacious goals we set
out for the club at the beginning of this Rotary year. We will be transitioning
at least five Rotaractors into Rotary. We have developed a fantastic
relationship with our Rotaract Club, The
Spartans. We are now ready to transition some of them into RC Nairobi East at
an induction fellowship planned for Friday 28th February, 2020. This
is a very big deal for us and on behalf of all members, I would like to warmly
welcome the Rotaractors who will be joining the coolest club.

4. Rotary birthday

Believe it or not, Rotary will be turning 115 years old on Sunday 23rd February 2020! To celebrate, RC Nairobi East is planning a birthday cake blowout for our beloved Rotary on Tuesday 25th February, 2020. Make sure you come and join your fellow Rotarians and guests as we celebrate and enjoy a meal together. Details will be shared soon.

5. Share your love at the Sunshine Rally

RC Nairobi East has been tasked to get gifts that will be given to more than 7,000 children with special needs who will be attending the Sunshine Rally on Saturday 14th March, 2020.

February being the month of love, we will reach out to
members for contributions towards this worthy cause. Do not be left behind.

6. Tree planting as a fundraising initiative

As part of delivering the US$ 40,000 fundraising
target that we set out for ourselves for the Rotary year 2019-20, RC Nairobi
East is looking for partners to spearhead a tree planting campaign that aims to
plant 200,000 trees per year for the next five years. Look out for updates and reach
out to me if you want to know more details.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ‘Tis the season to be jollyFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Don we now our gay apparel Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la

This is the song playing in my mind as I count days to Christmas and end of the year. It has been a tough year in many respects. I am thankful because as a Club we have many things to be grateful for.

We have just ended a successful Foundation month. I am excited that RC Nairobi East is now an all giving club. Well done Rotarians!! This is the reason we are the coolest Club in town. We elevated our giving game in November.

How RC Nairobi East elevated it’s giving in November

The month of November started with an official club visit by District Governor Joe Otin. This was an exciting homecoming meeting for the Club since DG Joe is a past president of RC Nairobi East. We took him to visit Total Rehabilitation Center in Kasarani. He then met the Club’s leadership and thereafter addressed a well attended lunch fellowship with our members. For more details about his visit, click HERE.

One of the things the Board of the Club set out to do in November was become an all giving Club. We did this by ensuring all our members gave their Every Rotarian Every Year’s (EREY) contributions by November 30th , as part of their annual subs. So on November 20th we officially became an all giving club.

PDG Geeta was part of the guests RC Nairobi East hosted in the month of November.

In addition, we had targeted to increase the number of new and upgrading PHFs by end of the month. Our intention was to take advantage of the matching offer announced by the DG – that the District will give a 50% subsidy to Rotarians who become PHFs for the first time. I am excited to announce that as at today, 30th November 2019, we have NINE new PHFs and three Rotarians who have topped up their PHF accounts. One of the three are now Major Donors! How cool is that!!!!!

Unpacking TRF

To give Rotarians a better understanding of how The Rotary Foundation (TRF) works, on Tuesday 19th November, we invited PDG Eric Kimani to come and share his giving story with members.

For those who have listened to PDG Eric Kimani, his passion about giving to the Foundation is evident in his talk and walk.

PDG Eric’s presentation was insightful and demystified a lot of myths people had about TRF. He also shared many practical ways Rotarians can give to TRF all year round. We now have members who have committed to giving something every month. Thank you PDG Eric for setting a giving fire in our bellies.

We intend
to crown this month by attending the Foundation Dinner in large numbers. The
dinner will be graced by Yinka Babalola, the Vice President of Rotary
International. Rotarians who have given to TRF as PHFs, Major Donors, new
Bequest and Benefactors will be honored.

Hosted Yinka Babalola

We ended the month in style when we hosted a bevy of Rotary dignitaries who included: Rotary International Vice President, Olayinka Babalola, the Rotary Foundation Trustee Elect, Dr. Geeta Manek, the District Governor Joe Otin and two past District Governors – PDG Peter Mbui and PDG Dr. Urs Herzog from Switzerland – on Tuesday 26th November.

In the same meeting, we had a very enlightening talk by Maina Muiruri, the Chairman of the Media Council of Kenya who spoke about media regulation and the practice of journalism in Kenya.

Yinka Babalola gets a gift from the leadership of RC Nairobi East.

Project update

The biogas digester installation work that the Club started at the Total Rehabilitation Center five weeks ago is now complete.

As a club, setting up a biogas unit was to enable
the home supplement its power needs with clean energy. The biogas will reduce the
home’s energy costs by over 80%. We have also installed a new water tank to increase
the home’s water storage capacity and repaired the gutters so they can harvest more
rain water.

I am glad that the selfless giving of members and the implementation of the project committee led by President Elect Tom Shivo has enabled us deliver the project in good time. Well done team!!

A biogas digester will provide Total Rehab Centre with clean energy and also reduce their power costs by 80%. Photo by Tom Shivo

Our next intervention is to upgrade the home’s
farm and make them food secure. Towards this end, we are looking at converting
the excess fertilizer from the biogas digester into manure that will be used in
the farm. We will also be installing a basic irrigation system and a shadenet
cover that will act as a greenhouse. All this will be made possible through
technology that has made the project affordable to implement.

What awaits you in December

We intend to make December a season of fellowship and spreading good cheer amongst Rotarians. We have spent the year serving communities, now we want to spend the month of December serving fellow Rotarians.

On
Tuesday 3rd December, RC Nairobi East will go to the polls to elect
its next leadership for the year 2021/2. Members will be electing a President
Nominee, Club Secretary and Club Treasurer.

On Saturday 7th December, all Rotarians will gather for a Rotary family, fund and sports day dubbed Rotary Polio Endgame Olympic. For the first time in the history of District 9212, RC Nairobi East is spearheading a district-wide family, fun and sports day.

Have your registered?

This event is open to all Rotarians and
Rotaractors in the district and is geared towards promoting the work that
Rotary is doing worldwide to eradicate Polio. In the process, we intend to raise
money for the Polio Fund.

You may be wondering, and what will we be doing for Christmas? Get ready for a lit CuCu birthday and Christmas party that will be held on Wednesday 11th December from 5pm. The next day will be Jamhuri day so you can parte after parte.

This is one Christmas party you will not want to miss!!

This is another first for RC Nairobi East as we
celebrate our 29th birthday with our Club’s children, grandchildren
and great grandchildren. This will be a gathering of 26 Rotary clubs. For
details contact Rotarian Duncan Muriuki on tel: 0722 510 431.

Finally…

On behalf
of the Board of RC Nairobi East, I wish you a merry Christmas and Happy New
Year. May the new year bring you good tidings.

Now join me in singing…

Fast away
the old year passes
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Hail the new year, lads and lasses
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Sing we joyous, all together
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Heedless of the wind and weather
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Every month, the Rotary Club of Nairobi East dedicates a Tuesday to its members to share about their vocations. On Tuesday 12th November, two newly inducted Rotarians shared about their vocations during the lunch fellowship. Below is what they spoke about.

George Rutto, banker/financial expert

George Rutto giving his talk

“I started out as a Management trainee many years ago at National Bank of Kenya and I have risen to my current position as Head of Internal Audit.

For many years
Auditors weren’t referred to as Auditors, they were referred to as ‘Inspectors’
– they would check everything including what work has been left pending at the
end of a given work day. They would randomly stop work at any point to check
what has been done and in banks, if tellers had any cash shortages.

Audit was purely about
compliance.

Audit, as we know it
today, now evaluates risk in addition to compliance. The times started changing
in 2008 when there was the global financial crisis. The questions raised after
this financial crisis revolved mostly around where internal audit and
management of the different organizations were as all that happened.

A committee was
formed to check how the crisis happened and it was found that Internal Audit’s
focus was on compliance. There was no focus on Governance and Risk Management. This
is how the role of Internal Audit changed from an Inspector to an advisor, a
partner in business.

What
Internal Audit involves

Internal Audit is no
longer about sitting in a corner until review is needed and done; it is now
about being part of strategy development and execution.

Internal Auditors
review risk and governance in organizations, including review of IT systems.
Given people have moved to seeking services from IT systems (like using an App
to perform banking transactions), audit of IT systems has become crucial.

Also, Internal Audit,
more so in banks, is now being done using IT tools given the high number of
transactions being done online and on mobile devices. The use of the tools is
also due to the need to capture customer data real time to aid in planning and
prompt addressing of customer queries.

Internal Auditors
being involved in strategy development and execution has opened new
opportunities for Auditors since the exposure enables them to effectively
function in other departments.”

Rosemary Adhi – Clinician

Rosemary Adhi talking about her vocation

“I studied clinical medicine and surgery at theKenya Medical Training College, Nairobi. I did my internship at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). I have worked in various hospitals through the years, working in dermatological and chest departments.

I have been at KNH since 2008 and in the chest department since 2012. I moved to the Asthma clinic two months ago. I am also a student at Kenyatta University pursuing an Environmental Health course.

I have participated in various community projects in my home area of Marsabit including the successful lobbying for the installation of a Safaricom mast in one of the constituencies in Marsabit, the building of an ablution block in one of the primary schools and giving of dignity Kits to girls in 5 schools. I also mentor primary school children. In addition to all the above, I am a mother to five children.

Rtn. George receives an appreciation pin

Rtn. Adhi receives an appreciation pin

Q&A

Is there a way that
internal auditors contribute to the growth of a company except in monitoring?

George:Yes, there are. Now Internal Auditors participate in the development and
implementation of strategies therefore, they participate in pre-audit of
projects to help determine where money might be lost. They also advise on any
governance concerns.

Can you tell the
health/diet of a person by looking at their skin?

Adhi:Yes, you can. The doctor will advise accordingly
just by looking at your skin. If, for example, the complaint is dull skin, a
medic will tell, just by looking at you, that the root of it is not taking much
water and taking drinks that dehydrate – like alcohol. They will therefore
recommend a diet full of vegetables, fruits and water and avoidance of daily consumption
of red meat.

How do you maintain
work-life balance?

Adhi:As a mother of five children, time with them has to
intentional. I must intentionally plan and allocate time and ensure I spend it
with my family.

A visit by the District Governor (DG) is one of the most important events in a Rotary club. In District 9212, it is tradition for an incumbent DG to visit clubs at least once. The visit gives a DG deeper insights about what clubs are doing while he/she shares his/her vision and feedback with the club leadership and general membership.

Who is a DG?A District Governor (DG) is a Rotarian who is the titular head of a district, a subdivision of Rotary International that encompasses all the Rotary clubs in a geographic area. Our district, 9212 – covers four countries (Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea). It has 144 District Officers chosen due to their passion, their knowledge of Rotary and their track record. Rotary is made up of +35,000 clubs with +1.2 million members across the world.

DG Joe Otin during his visit to Total Rehab Center where the RC of Nairobi East is installing a biodigester that will provide at least 80% of the home’s energy needs.

On Tuesday 5 th November, RC Nairobi East hosted DG Joe Otin. Earlier that morning, the Club President Dan Awendo and the Projects Committee took the DG to Total Rehab Centre in Kasarani where RC Nairobi East is building a bio digester and installing a water tank for the home.

A biodigester being installed at Total Rehab Home that caters for over 50 children with autism, cerebral palsy and other mental challenges.

After the project visit, the DG held a Board meeting with the RC Nairobi East leadership and there after joined the members for a lunch fellowship. The luncheon had over 60 people who included Rotarians visiting Rotarians, Rotaractors and guests.

For those who do not know, Joe Otin is a past member of RC Nairobi East having joined the club in 2001. Four years later (in 2014/5), he became the President of the club. After his successful tenure as one of the youngest presidents of the club, Otin went ahead to serve in various district and international positions. His first Rotary International role was as the Rotary Public Image Coordinator, Africa from 2010 to 2015.

DG’s address to RC Nairobi East

Therefore, in many ways, Otin’s visit to RC Nairobi East was a homecoming for him. Members had prepared adequately for his visit; RC Nairobi East acknowledges that Otin’s Rotary journey started in the club. Before becoming a DG in June 2019, Otin said he was warned about two things: the gruelling schedule and the weight gain. He admitted that he has added a few kilos but we reassure him, we have not noticed the extra pounds he claims to have added. Otin said the previous DGs did not warn him about is how fulfilling the job would be; “interacting with and seeing the work of Rotarians across the District,” he told RC Nairobi East members. Otin shared about his recent visit to the Rotary Club of Bondo. He said Rotarians in Bondo had built a house for a widow who was living in squalor. “Poverty had forced her daughter to be married off at the tender age of 15. She (widow) was moved by that gift of a home,” Otin said.

District 9212 strategic planThe DG also shared the district’s plan at the luncheon. Before he became DG, Otin set up a strategic planning committee to research and provide goals to be achieved during 2019-2020 Rotary year. Findings from the committee revealed that Rotary clubs in District 9212 are generally doing well in membership and giving. Secondly, there is a lot of potential that is not being tapped. As DG he decided he was going to lead the District in Elevating the Game! This is how the 2019-2020 Rotary theme came to be.

Four months into his tenure, District 9212 has recorded significant achievement. Club officers have received world-class training that was facilitated by senior Rotary International leaders. Another achievement has been the launch of the online district newsletter popularly known as the Timeline.The DG encouraged members to register for the District Conference Assembly 2020. The current price is $150. The target is to have 1,000 Rotarians and 500 Rotaractors attending. Also on the DG’s to-do list is raising $1 million for Polio be asking one million people to give at least KSh 100 ($1) each. The District will also approach corporates and members of the public.

DG inducts 10 members

The Rotary Club of Nairobi East inducted 10 new members.

At the luncheon, DG Otin inducted 10 new members in RC Nairobi East. The new members are from various vocations. The club’s membership committee led by its Director Rosemary Njeri, has continued to actively pursue prospective members. At the start of the Rotary year – July 2019 – the club had 62 members. In October, we inducted two new members and in November we have added 10 making the total number of members to go up to 74. “This will get us very close to 50% of our target of 31 new members in the year. We also hope to use November to accelerate plans for inducting the Rotaractors who were interested in transitioning to the club, and also finalize the formation of RC Nairobi Morningside and RC Nairobi Ushuru. If we bag these three initiatives, we should be well within reaching our target of 32 new members,” says President Dan Awendo.

About Joe OtinMr. Otin is the Chief Executive Officer of The Collective, an interactive ad agency focusing on social media management and digital advertising with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. For the past 26 years Otin has been influential in the advertising and media industry across Africa. He is the former Managing Director of Ipsos Media Division in pan-Africa, a Past President of the Pan-African Media Research Organization (PAMRO), the Chairman of the Advertising Standards Board in Kenya. He is also a member of the Oversight Committee of the Kenya Audience Research Foundation (KARF), a member of the Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK) and the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK). He is a columnist of the Business Daily newspaper where he writes on the subject of marketing and digital advertising.Otin is a classical guitar player, an avid photographer, a voracious reader and occasionally enjoys a round of golf. He is married to Evlyn and they have one daughter called Mardea.

Welcome to
the month of October! Can you imagine we have less than three months before the
year ends? How fast time goes by.

We have just ended a successful month of September that we planned as a projects commencement month. Rotary is not only about friendship and networks, but it is also about doing projects that impact communities around us.

What
gets measured, gets done

Peter Drucker was right when he said, “what gets measured gets managed.” Regular measurement and reporting keep you focused. This is what we have applied at St. John’s primary school, Korogocho.

For those who do not know, the Rotary Club of Nairobi East (RCNE) has for several years now supported St. John’s Korogocho in various ways namely: stocked the library with books and other library requirements, painted buildings, dewormed the pupils, conducted mentorship forums and provided stationery items to KCPE candidates.

Our signature project is the performance target setting
and mentorship initiative that RCNE started in 2014. Then, Judith Githae was
the Vocational Director. Her passion for education saw her roll out an initiative
that involved helping class seven and eight pupils set targets. In the true
spirit of Peter Drucker.

The idea is to help pupils and their teachers aim for
something – good grades. For many years, the school had posted poor KCPE results
which meant the pupils had a lesser chance of progressing to high school and thereafter,
getting out of the poverty cycle.

Every term, RCNE members meet the pupils and their
teachers to review grades and set goals for the next term. This goal setting
exercise is done in groups and during one-on-one sessions that involved
mentorship. The pupils are required to set SMART goals per subject that they
can achieve within the term. In the process, they get to do a SWOT on
themselves so as to see the gaps and work on them. The teachers too are
required to set goals per subject and overall marks. This helps them identify
the areas they need to improve and work on them during the term.

The
impact at St. John’s Korogocho

Setting goals is one thing. Achieving them is another.
RCNE set a fire in their bellies by rewarding good results. Pupils and teachers
get cash rewards for achieving their targets. The icing on the cake is, every
year, the pupil who scores the highest marks in KCPE gets a four year fully
paid high school scholarship.

We
currently have five students that we are sponsoring in high school as follows;

Joseph Odunyo – Aquinas High School (Form 4)

Stephen Ooko Ochieng – St. Joseph’s School – Rapogi
(Form 3)

Tasha Elizabeth Ondula – St. Joseph’s School, Kenol
(Form 1)

Peter Nyaga Gitonga – St. Joseph’s School Kenol (Form
1)

Joan Amadi Okwemba – ACK Ebusakami Girls Secondary
School (Form 1)

We are extremely proud and gratified that our
last student to graduate from high school, Miss Cheryl Awino Opondo scored a
mean grade of B Plus in 2018 KCSE.

This initiative has helped improve the school’s average
score in KCPE from 200 points in 2015, to the current 350 points. The school
now boasts of at least one pupil getting to 400 points. This was unheard off in
2014. This initiative has been so successful that we will be rolling it out in
other schools that we support.

Exploration
trip to Marsabit

As part of the planning process to establish a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project in
Isiolo County, in mid-September, I led members of RCNE on a three day joint
trip to Isiolo and Marsabit counties – some 551kms away from Nairobi.

The key objectives of the trip were to: meet with
members of the newly formed Rotary Club of Marsabit Central, visit WASH and Economic
Empowerment projects done by Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) in Isiolo and
Marsabit counties, and donate books to form three and four students of Marsabit
secondary school.

In the coming weeks, Tom Shivo, the President-Elect
and Projects Director will share a project viability report that the club can
evaluate. I am thankful to all members of RCNE who took time out to visit
Marsabit. Special thanks to past president Ambassador Dennis Awori who
facilitated the transport.

RCNE
education endowment fund update

Finally,
we have started the process of forming an endowment fund. The primary objective
is to build a financial kitty that will specifically go towards educating bright
and needy students who excel in KCPE and are not able to progress to high
school.

The
seed capital has already been raised by the club through its various fundraising
initiatives. We intend to launch the fund in January 2020.

I
would like to recognize the passion of Rotarian Beatrice Kariuki who is the
project lead of this initiative. She has mobilized the trustees who met on 17th
September to kick-off the formation of the endowment fund.

Membership
update – we added two new members

In
September, RCNE held a Rotary 101 class aimed at individuals keen on knowing
more about Rotary. The event was organized by the Membership Committee led by
the Director Rotarian Rosemary Njeri. We hosted 30 participants and we are
happy that we debunked a lot of myths about Rotary. The event is the first of
two that we will hold in this Rotary year 2019-2020.

I
am also happy to report that we have finally started the journey towards
inducting at least 30 new members to our club this Rotary year.

On September 24th we inducted two new members – Faith Kamau and Florence Nduba. We now have 62 members.

New
generations update

We continue to work closely with our Rotaractors, the
Rotaract Club of Nairobi East (Spartans). At the start of the Rotary year 2019-2020, we
intentionally set out to strengthen the relationship between ourselves and the
Spartans. As part of our support, we made a 50% sponsorship for 10 Rotaractors to
attend RYLA.

I am also
glad to report that the New Generations committee held its first mentorship
training on Friday 27th September, facilitated by PDG Peter Mbui. We
are planning to pair Rotarians and Rotaractors under a mentorship project.

Speakers
in September

RCNE
hosted several guest speakers who gave inspiring talks. I appeal to members to
join us during our Tuesday fellowships. I promise you, the one hour will be
worth your time. Some of the guest speakers included:

Justice Isaac Lenaola, Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya who spoke at our lunch meeting on 10th September about leadership in the judiciary and its role in guiding a just society. Lenaola explained how judges provide leadership in the development and improvement of laws and therefore social structures that support positive growth of society even though they are generally not considered as leaders. He also enlightened the audience about why we still have a huge backlog of cases and what can be done to unclog the system.

Justice Isaac Lenaola, Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya spoke at our lunch meeting on 10th September about leadership in the judiciary and its role in guiding a just society.

We
also hosted our very own PDG Peter Mbui and Past President Dr Joe Kamau, the
District Membership Chair. The duo spoke about recruitment and retention on 17th
September. The audience was educated about the District goals on membership,
projected 50% growth, dynamics of clubs, how to grow membership and ways we can
keep members engaged.

Another
amazing speaker we hosted on 24th September, is Dr Rose Mutiso, an
amazing woman who specializes in studying power sector issues. She runs Mawazo
Institute, an organisation that focuses on women empowerment – which she
co-founded. She is also a Research Director at Energy Growth Hub, a think tank.
Dr Mutiso spoke about the challenges and opportunities in the Kenya power
sector.

Club
assembly

We held our first club assembly on 3rd
September. At the meeting the following resolutions were passed:

Approval of audited accounts for the
year ended June 30th 2018;

Approval of management accounts for
the year ended June 30th 2019;

Budget for the Rotary year 2019/20;

Club qualification documentation
including members’ Memorandum of Understanding;

Golf committee financial report;

The 2019/20 president installation financial
report;

These
approvals will facilitate club qualification and thereby enable us to apply for
global grants.

October
diary

October
promises to be another exciting and busy month. A couple of socials have been
planned one of which is a fundraising Karaoke that we will hold jointly with
the Rotary Club of Nairobi Industrial Area.

We
have also invited various speakers who will not only leave you knowledgeable
but challenge your thinking. So put a standing meeting every Tuesday. Wishing
you a blessed and productive month of October!

https://www.rotarynairobieast.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/b724f2f1-7d1d-4f74-bcd7-dfe6505f439e-e1570209322581.jpg800800adminhttps://www.rotarynairobieast.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RCNE-Logo.pngadmin2019-10-04 17:00:482019-10-04 17:33:15President’s October note: Rolling out our community projects

I have just done my first month as President of the coolest club and what a roller coaster it has been! Butterflies nazo?

The new Rotary year started off with
a bang. That was the plan – to start the year on a high – so we can ride the
high tide for a good part of the year.

But first, a recap. We ended the Rotary year with an excellent evening fellowship that was graced by Ian Mbugua. That last fellowship reminded me of closing day during my primary school days. All Nairobi East members turned up looking jovial and ready to give Immediate Past President (IPP) Tito Tadeo a warm send-off. We also had a beautiful mentorship and project visit to Enkereiyan Primary School in Kajiado.

A Bollywood night

I am honoured by the amazing installation dinner that the Club hosted for me on Saturday, July 6th. I thank IPP Tito for handing over power peacefully. Haaa!! I also thank the organizing committee chaired by President-Elect (PE) Tom Shivo who together with his team, made the event successful. We had a turnout of 140 guests led by District Governor Joe Otin and Past District Governor (PDG) Eric Kimani and his wife Margaret Munene.

The new Rotary year started off with a bang. That was the plan – to start the year on a high – so we can ride the high tide for a good part of the year.

In my speech, I highlighted three
main things that I and the Board will focus on this year:

Connect members to the
club, our Rotaract Clubs, Interactors and our Rotary Community Corps.

Connect Rotary to corporates.
Many corporates have community social responsibility projects but have no
structure and depth. Our club can provide the execution platform for them
through partnerships.

Connect Rotary to the community.
I believe there’s more work to be done on the six focus areas of Rotary so our
impact can be felt in the communities we serve.

I am also very happy to announce that PE Tom Shivo will be spearheading the review of our Club’s strategic plan. The three-year strategy now needs to be updated as part of our forward-thinking. As you know, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. As one of the biggest clubs in District 9212, a solid strategic plan will guide all our club activities as we elevate our game.

Vibrant
weekly fellowship meetings

One of the things I am keen on seeing this year is good and regular attendance to our weekly meetings. I appreciate the effort and time Nairobi East members set aside to attend meetings every Tuesday. I have challenged myself and I would like to promise you that attending meetings will be worth your while. So please just block your diary every Tuesday lunchtime.

In July, we had five weeks and five amazing speakers! Our turn out to meetings has been very encouraging. I salute everyone who attended our fellowships. Asante Sana. I also got the privilege to present my plans to members. Details of what my Board and I have planned this year are HERE. Thank you for the overwhelming feedback you shared with me.

Members pose for a photo with Peter Nduati.

Our first guest speaker was the
Board Chairman of the Central Bank of Kenya, Mohammed Nyaoga who spoke about
how regulators transform the lives of the society through exercising the
autonomy they have around the institutions they supervise in order to promote
accountability, integrity and equity.

We also hosted Peter Nduati who
delivered an excellent talk that focused on living a full life. His presentation
was particularly interesting because he used a case study of his personal life based
on his three main hobbies:- horses, rugby and music. For more about Peter’s inspiring
talk, read HERE.

Other speakers at the club were the
US Ambassador Kyle McCarter and former Kitui County Senator
Hon. David Musila.

We were honoured to host Ambassador McCarter who was posted to Kenya in January 2019. He gave an interesting talk that touched on good governance, the rule of law and the role of citizens in creating a steady economic growth.

US Ambassador Kyle McCarter speaking at Nairobi East.

We are the first Rotary Club in the District Ambassador McCarter has spoken at. The fellowship attracted over 90 Rotarians and guests. The
guests included 10 current and Past Presidents and Rotarians from 11 clubs.

Hon Musila closed the month with a storytelling evening that was more like a history class. Hon Musila released his memoirs in March 2019. He shared about his career in public service and what it took to write down his memoirs. At the end of the evening, Rotarians got a chance to buy his book and have it autographed. If you want to know the juicy details of the 1982 coup, I highly recommend you get a copy of his book Seasons of Hope.

Hon Musila closed the month with a storytelling evening that was more like a history class. Hon Musila released his memoirs in March 2019.

Dear Members, our objective
this year is to have a varied selection of guest speakers. If you have any
recommendations of individuals who can speak at our weekly fellowships, contact
the Club Speaker Secretary Carole Kimutai on (nerotary@gmail.com).

A night with Rotaractors

For the first time in the 29 year
history of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East, members attended what would be
considered an extremely creative installation party of the Rotaract Club of
Nairobi East.

The installation was a three days
affair. Yes, three days – camping rendezvous at the beautiful Olooiden campsite
in Naivasha. What a way to usher in the new Rotary year! What a way to install
a new President.

As former Rotary International President Barry Rasin used to say, Rotaract is the future of Rotary. I fully agree with him. This year be ready to engage more with Rotaractors.

As former Rotary International President Barry Rasin used to say, Rotaract is the future of Rotary.

Socials by the family of Rotary committee

The reason we have vocations in
Rotary is for us to use them. Rotary is the place your skill/vocation/talent is
showcased. Our Family of Rotary Director this year is Duncan Muriuki, a
hospitality expert with many years’ experience to his credit. If there is
anyone who can show you the meaning of hospitality, it is certainly Duncan!

Duncan and his committee kicked off the year with a hang out at the Nairobi National Park on the last Saturday of July. In partnership with the Rotaract Club of Nairobi East, the social was attended by almost 20 Rotarians and Rotaractors who spent a cosy afternoon networking over food and drinks. If it wasn’t for the curfew and the KWS wardens chasing us away, I can bet we would have left the Park in the morning! If you missed, make sure you attend the next social that is coming up on Saturday, August 10.

In partnership with the Rotaract Club of Nairobi East, the social was attended by almost 20 Rotarians and Rotaractors who spent a cozy afternoon networking over food and drinks.

What
August has in store for us

August is Membership Month. This month, we will focus on engaging how we will transition Rotaractors to Rotary. This month we will host a Rotary 101 open day. Please invite your friends, family and colleagues to come and learn about Rotary. The objective of Rotary 101 is to interact with prospective members.

To help you plan your month better, below is a list of all the activities we have planned for you in the month of August 2019.

Our August 2019 events

Have you liked our social media accounts? If not, find us on Twitter and Facebook.

President Dan Awendo, the new president of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East shared his plans with members during a lunch meeting held on Tuesday 16th July 2019. “I want us to be the coolest and impactful award-winning club in our district,” said Dan.

The 2019-20 challenge is to strengthen the many ways that Rotary ‘Connects the World’, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful and generous people to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service.

Joe Otin, the District 9212 Governor has challenged clubs to: #ElevateYourGame. The Rotary Club of Nairobi East theme is: #ElevatingOurCoolness

https://www.rotarynairobieast.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/RCNE-59.jpg32654898adminhttps://www.rotarynairobieast.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RCNE-Logo.pngadmin2019-07-07 16:17:052019-07-09 14:47:35Mohammed Nyaoga speaks at Rotary Club of Nairobi East's first meeting of the year